When I told my husband I wasn’t really sure what I was going to write about in this post (besides for bragging on the health benefits of the ingredients), he said, “tell them that heirloom tomatoes are the best and the tomatoes we grew up on are just no good.” He’s right, and we hate to break it to you, but if you’ve never had an heirloom tomato, you’ve never tasted a real tomato. The flavor has been bred out of conventional tomatoes and the texture is awful; they’re bred for easy harvesting, shipping, and shelf life. Besides for being wildly beautiful, heirloom tomatoes have a wide variety of flavors and levels of acidity. These subtle differences are what make heirloom tomatoes so much better!
As I mentioned in a previous post, the antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes is linked to reduction in prostate cancer risk. Another curious health benefit of tomatoes is they help to protect our skin from UV damage from the sun. Fun facts like that make me so excited about eating what’s in season! Not only are you eating the freshest produce available, but also receiving extra little bonuses for the specific season and climate that you’re in.
Capsaicin, the main bioactive plant compound in chile peppers, responsible for their pungent (hot) taste, is known to stop the spread of prostate cancer cells as well as reduce inflammation. Chile peppers could also reduce your risk of high blood levels of insulin associated with type 2 diabetes. Australian researchers have shown that the amount of insulin required to lower blood sugar after a meal is reduced if the meal contains chili pepper.
The greens in this salad also have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties and so do the onions! Onions contain angiogenesis inhibitors which prevent abnormal cells from obtaining blood so they can’t grow. So in short, go find some heirloom tomatoes at your local farmers market and make this delicious and healthy tomato salad STAT!
heirloom tomato salad
(serves 2)
ingredients
2-3 pounds heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1 serrano chile pepper, sliced thin (or 1/2 jalepeno)
pickled shallots (recipe below)
microgreens, watercress, or arugula
first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
apple cider vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
directions
arrange chopped tomatoes in bowl or plate, drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and season to taste. toss lightly. top with pickled onions, sliced serrano, and a couple handfuls of greens.
quick pickled shallots
ingredients
2 medium shallots (or half of a small red onion)
1-2 serrano chile peppers, chopped (or 1/2 jalepeno)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup filtered water
pinch of salt
directions
place shallots, pepper, vinegar, water and salt in a small saucepan; stir, and bring contents to a boil. turn off heat and allow to cool. when cool, discard the pepper pieces, and transfer shallots and some of the liquid to a glass lidded jar. refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
